Green Europe calls on Copenhagen

As the world waits for negotiations at COP20 in Lima, Peru, to get underway, municipal lawmakers and other experts from throughout Europe will be gathering in Copenhagen this week to discuss how cities can promote greater sustainability.

As urban populations increase, cities face increasing challenges related to climate change. That makes cities increasingly vital in efforts to come up with intelligent, sustainable ways of dealing with the impact of environmental and climatic change, without impacting growth or the quality of life of their residents. Copenhagen, for example, is adding 1,000 new residents each month, while at the same time serving as the engine of the Danish economy and working towards reaching its goal of becoming the first carbon-neutral capital by 2025.

Copenhagen hold the honour of being the 2014 European Green Capital. The recognition is aimed at promoting sustainable urban development throughout the European Union. On Monday, Bristol, England, will take over as the 2015 European Green Capital.

“Copenhagen has shown the way for other cities looking to become more sustainable, and being named European Green Capital has been an important recognition of our successful efforts to reduce carbon pollution and make the city greener. Improved sustainability has raised the quality of life for the people of Copenhagen, and our ambitious goals and increased investment levels have led to growth and new jobs,” says Copenhagen’s Lord Mayor Frank Jensen.

Previous European Green Capitals include Stockholm, Hamburg and Nantes. All three cities take part in efforts to share ideas for reducing the impact of climate change and to address its root causes. Such efforts focus on a number of areas, including transport, waste-management and energy.

The Sharing Copenhagen – Green Capital Days conference, taking place in Copenhagen December 8-9, will be attended by 600 European experts, lawmakers, journalists and representatives from NGOs. The conference will feature presentations of best-practice cases, discussions about the progress of climate adaptation and inspiration for co-operation at various levels. In connection with the conference, the Capital Region of Denmark will exhibit its own best-practices in areas such as energy, sustainable transport and hospital foodservice.

During the conference, the city will also be organising a green Christmas market on City Hall Square. In addition to sustainability, the market’s theme will be the sharing economy and reduced food waste. In keeping with the theme, visitors will be invited to swap unused items.

The Green Sharing Christmas Market marks the culmination of a 2014 that has seen Sharing Copenhagen work together with 100 partner organisations to stage some 300 events.

State of Green is a not-for-profit, public-private partnership from Denmark. We facilitate relations with international stakeholders and are your one-point entry to all leading Danish players working to drive the global transition to a sustainable, low-carbon, resource-efficient society.